Just in case there are people that don’t remember me blessing the board with my undeniable charm between 2010-2013, I’m a 2012 Fremont-Mills graduate mostly known for trolling East Mills and have come back for one post because I have a few things to say. I almost came back last year after Derek Martin kinda sorta called me out when we played East Mills but I resisted. I actually signed in a few weeks ago and saw someone had the gall to make to make a thread asking who was the best 8-man team in the last 5 years like the answer wasn’t obvious. I left as soon as I saw it because I didn’t want to spend days educating fools on how the 2011 FM team would’ve beat any Iowa 8-man team by 35+ points.
Anyway, the main reason why I'm posting is because I finally saw FM play this year thanks to Sidney livestreaming Jacob Thorne appreciation night (too soon?). They are legit. The final scores don’t do them justice; the varsity offense doesn’t play in the 2nd half (FM's only post-half points were against East Mills) and the only score the varsity has given up was a safety to Sidney. People won’t believe me, but Christiansen has always avoided running up the score and pulls his varsity players way earlier than any other coach.
Going back to the game, what I saw was a dominant defense. Everyone was flying around but Sam Phillips and Austin Gartner were the standouts as they lived in the backfield. The pass defense was hard to judge as Sidney’s QB was running for his life, but Dalian Melgoza had a nice interception and they didn’t allow a completion until the varsity was taken out. Looking at other box scores, I can see it must be pretty good, but they gave up some big plays against Stanton which gives me cause for pause. The offense was hard to judge as well because the game was played on one half of the field but they moved the ball at will. If you want some deep insights from the game, you're in luck because I have a few:
Speaking of playoffs, this new/old format is garbage. Just complete garbage. The playoff schedule with 32 teams was too cramped but it could have been solved by cutting out a regular season game or starting a week earlier. Lots of goods teams are going to miss the playoffs due to injuries and being stuck in a tough district. If you are offended that a team with a losing record makes it to the playoffs, I have a little advice: GET A FREAKING LIFE. A team’s record is not indicative of how good/bad they are anyway as I know of two occasions where a team with a sub .500 record beat an unbeaten team in the playoffs (Urbandale beating AL Council Bluffs and Lenox beating Melcher-Dallas) and I'm sure there have been others.
I can't talk about garbage without mentioning the the Iowa Squawkeyes. I was a fan of the team long before Nate went there and frankly, he was the only reason I watched them the last four years but now I'm official done with them. That 2009 team meant more to me than just about anything and instead of using it as a springboard into becoming a contender, they have been drowning in a pool of mediocrity. Don’t mention last year’s team because anyone with eyes could tell they weren’t as good as their record (the team that went 8-5 a few years ago was better). I haven’t watched any sporting event or sports show since the debacle and may never again. Yes, I am that big of a baby. I’ve entered the bargaining stage of grief though and could cave any minute but I’m for sure not watching Iowa play again until something changes. Forcing me to watch The Bachelor/ette would be a far more tolerable form of torture to me than watching Iowa players drop passes and fall down as someone runs by them. I've lost my train of thought and have typed up way more than I wanted so I’m going to end my post.
Summary: Fremont-Mills is really good and I’m an angry old man. Have a nice day.
Author’s note: I wrote this three nights ago but had to edit it because it was pretty nasty.
Anyway, the main reason why I'm posting is because I finally saw FM play this year thanks to Sidney livestreaming Jacob Thorne appreciation night (too soon?). They are legit. The final scores don’t do them justice; the varsity offense doesn’t play in the 2nd half (FM's only post-half points were against East Mills) and the only score the varsity has given up was a safety to Sidney. People won’t believe me, but Christiansen has always avoided running up the score and pulls his varsity players way earlier than any other coach.
Going back to the game, what I saw was a dominant defense. Everyone was flying around but Sam Phillips and Austin Gartner were the standouts as they lived in the backfield. The pass defense was hard to judge as Sidney’s QB was running for his life, but Dalian Melgoza had a nice interception and they didn’t allow a completion until the varsity was taken out. Looking at other box scores, I can see it must be pretty good, but they gave up some big plays against Stanton which gives me cause for pause. The offense was hard to judge as well because the game was played on one half of the field but they moved the ball at will. If you want some deep insights from the game, you're in luck because I have a few:
- Sidney’s best offensive play was when one of their players threw the ball at an FM player. I laughed at him and then at the ref when offsetting penalties were called and he walked it off both ways like a dope.
- Mason Vanatta can throw from the pocket and running to both his left and right and he's putting the ball where only his receivers can get it. I'd really like to see the numbers he could put up in a competitive game.
- Beau Malcolm, IMO, had the most impressive play of the day on a two-point conversion where he broke a bunch of tackles on a screen pass. If there was another sport that avoiding being taken down was apart of, I bet he would be good at it. On a totally unrelated note, cutting weight is not that hard, not crazy like it was back in ye olden days, and is more enjoyable than riding the pine.
- Jaeger Powers is the best RB no one is talking about, but Logan Gaylord is put together pretty well and can make some plays when he doesn’t hesitate.
- Connor Alley is a player to watch in the future. I'm not saying he will be the next Spencer Phillips, but he will be a key player the next two years.
- I felt so damn old watching these kids because the last time I saw them in person, they were in junior high and elementary school. At least my hairline isn't receding like my brother's.
Speaking of playoffs, this new/old format is garbage. Just complete garbage. The playoff schedule with 32 teams was too cramped but it could have been solved by cutting out a regular season game or starting a week earlier. Lots of goods teams are going to miss the playoffs due to injuries and being stuck in a tough district. If you are offended that a team with a losing record makes it to the playoffs, I have a little advice: GET A FREAKING LIFE. A team’s record is not indicative of how good/bad they are anyway as I know of two occasions where a team with a sub .500 record beat an unbeaten team in the playoffs (Urbandale beating AL Council Bluffs and Lenox beating Melcher-Dallas) and I'm sure there have been others.
I can't talk about garbage without mentioning the the Iowa Squawkeyes. I was a fan of the team long before Nate went there and frankly, he was the only reason I watched them the last four years but now I'm official done with them. That 2009 team meant more to me than just about anything and instead of using it as a springboard into becoming a contender, they have been drowning in a pool of mediocrity. Don’t mention last year’s team because anyone with eyes could tell they weren’t as good as their record (the team that went 8-5 a few years ago was better). I haven’t watched any sporting event or sports show since the debacle and may never again. Yes, I am that big of a baby. I’ve entered the bargaining stage of grief though and could cave any minute but I’m for sure not watching Iowa play again until something changes. Forcing me to watch The Bachelor/ette would be a far more tolerable form of torture to me than watching Iowa players drop passes and fall down as someone runs by them. I've lost my train of thought and have typed up way more than I wanted so I’m going to end my post.
Summary: Fremont-Mills is really good and I’m an angry old man. Have a nice day.
Author’s note: I wrote this three nights ago but had to edit it because it was pretty nasty.
